Everything Changes
by Proud-2B-Blonde
Summary: Everyone has gone their seperate ways to college/university. Now, after 6 months, they're being reunited during the Christmas break. What will happen? Has everything changed? **Please Read And Review**
1. Feeling Nervous

Tia smiled tiredly at the next customer in line. "Hi, how can I help you?" she asked, her voice exuding happiness. It wasn't an act. Tia couldn't be happier. It was Christmas break, and she was back home in Sweet Valley. Sure, she lived in the dorms of her University, but this was home. She didn't care that she was working in her parents deli, she didn't care that she smelt like meat, she didn't care that her feet hurt, and she didn't care that she'd been working at the cash for 3 hours straight. She was just estatic to be home. Ever since she'd left for University, she'd missed home. It was even worse seeing as none of her friends had ended up at the same University. Not one. Even Jessica and Elizabeth had been seperated. Furthermore, she hadn't seen any of them since the summer, and the last time she had talked to the majority of them was at the beginning of the year. Everything had changed; and Tia wasn't for it. Her and Trent had broken up in late October. They couldn't handle being apart. Tia would never blame Angel for their break-up anymore. Now that she had headed off to University, she too understood how hard it was to stay in touch, and to live two seperate lives. Maybe that was why she hadn't talked to her friends too much. They had different lives now. Her happy mood had evaporated slowly. I can't help wishing it were Senior Year again... even though there was tons of drama, it was the best year of high school for me. The bell jingled. Another customer. "Mr and Mrs.Marsden!" Tia exclaimed jumping up with happiness. "Tia! Wow you look great sweetie! How are you? How have you been? How's School? What's new? Gosh it's so amazing to see you!" Mrs.Marsden said that in nearly one breath as she dashed over to hug Tia. Tia returned the hug and replied "You too, I'm so happy to be home, My year has been okay, schools fun, I'm so happy to be here, and I'm happy to see you! Did I miss anything?" she said with a giggle. Mrs.Marsden smiled warmly at Tia. "Wow.. Sweet Valley sure has been empty without you kids. Thank gosh you'll all be home for the holidays!" Tia's jaw dropped."Everyone is coming back?!?!" She asked, astounded. What fun that would be... a little reunion would definitely be necessary.. Tia thought, smiling coyly. "Well.. actually I'm not to sure if everyone is coming, but I know that Andy definitely is." Tia's heart dropped slightly... it wasn't that she was not excited to see Andy... but she wanted everyone to be there. EVERYONE. As in Elizabeth, Jessica, Conner, Andy, Evan, Jeremy, Jade, Maria, Ken, all of them. She wanted them all there. But at least she and Andy could hang out... just like the old days.. tears welled up in her eyes. She definitely missed Senior Year. "Tia? Tia? Sweetie, do you think we could get some blackforest ham?" Mrs.Marsden looked at Tia with guilt in her eyes. "Oh of course! Don't feel bad! I'm just being my regular spacey self..." and as Tia smiled, her trademark dimple appeared. "Here you go, 150 g of Black Forest Ham. It was great seeing you!"   
"The pleasure was ours Tia!" As Mr and Mrs.Marsden left, Tia glanced at the clock. 4:55 pm. 2 hours and 5 minutes until her shift was done. Great... this is going to be the longest shift in the history of Mankind.  
  
"Liz? Can you pass me that sweater over there?" Elizabeth smiled at her friend. "Yeah, sure." she said, tossing over the sweater. "Umm Liz? What's wrong? You seem very.. preoccupied..."   
Liz sighed. "I don't really know Sandie... I'm going back to Sweet Valley for the holidays... and it's just..." she paused, trying to find the appropriate word.  
"Strange? Weird?" Sandie supplied.  
"Yeah.. basically. Don't get me wrong... Senior year was amazing.. awesome.. heartwrenching... drama-filled...intense.." Elizabeth broke off, her voice thick with emotion. She could never forget everything that had happened... and although it had been 6 months since she and Conner had their conversation at Universal Studios.. the one where he said they would never be anything more than friends, the pain was still fresh in her heart. She had tried to forget him, she had other boyfriends, but it seemed he was the one she could never forget. Sandie gazed at Elizabeth sympathetically. "I'm sorry Liz.. I know we've only known each other for a few months, but you're honestly my best friend. I don't know what I would do without you. You deserve better than Conner- I know you are gonna try and deny it's him you're worried about seeing, but Liz I know you. Look, I have faith in you. Go back home and have fun. Don't let him stop you. You're just letting him have control over your life!" Sandie's words were true, as much as Liz wanted to deny them. She picked up a picture frame off her night-table. Prom 2003. Somehow, she had managed to get a picture of them all together. Even Conner. And he was glowing with happiness. Of course that was the night they had hooked up. So why did he crush her hopes the next day? I'm thinking about this again... geez... Elizabeth thought and she let out a moan of frustration. Sandie looked at her with a sad smile. "Liz.. look. Don't let one guy ruin Christmas. You're stronger than that. Now go catch your flight to L.A! You're gonna be late!" Elizabeth giggled. "Thanks for everything Sandie.. for keeping me together this year.. you know I love you!" Sandie smiled warmly at Liz. "I know I know.. I'm fabuloussss! Now GO!" Elizabeth laughed. "Alright, Alright! I'll go! Thanks so much Sandie, I love you!" Elizabeth and Sandie hugged for the bamillionth time. "Bye bye dorm! I know I will NOT miss you!" Liz giggled as she grabbed her bags. So Conner and her weren't together. So what? That didnt mean anything whatsoever! She was still going to go home and see her family and friends, and no one was going to stop her. For all she knew Conner wasn't even going to be coming home. In her head, she repeated the words of one of her favourite songs. I am ready, I am ready, I am... fine. 


	2. A tearful reunion and a determined plan

Conner stepped off the plane from Boston to LA. It had not been a good flight. He had sat beside a young woman with a baby, who screamed throughout the whole flight. Still half asleep, he went to the luggage pick up, and picked up his single duffle bag. He couldn't believe he was in California again. It seemed like a whole other world. He had new friends now- who all went to the Boston Conservatory. They all appreciated music as much as him, which really did mean a lot. But they weren't Andy and Tia, his best friends since practically birth. He hadn't really tried to keep in touch with them, and he was ashamed. And than there was Liz... as much as it pained him to admit, she was still on his mind. Still constantly on his mind. Nevermind that he was sort of seeing a girl named Rachel at school. It was Liz who constantly invaded his thoughts. It was Liz who helped inspire him to write music. And he didn't even have the balls to call her. It would be so simple. But there was no way she was interested in him anymore. She'd probably moved on to find a guy who treated her like a goddess. Something he could never do. Conner needed to make a decision. He could be with Liz, and make her unhappy with his moodiness and his inability to express his feeling. Or he could let her be with an Evan type guy, the one who would make her happy, and put her before everything else. When it came down to it, Liz deserved the best. And unfortunately, he just wasn't the best. His heart felt heavy, but he ignored it. At least he could see his family- Megan and his mother, and maybe he'd even see Tia, Evan, and Andy. He grabbed his duffle bag and ignored the weight of it on his shoulders. He was excited to be back home, strangely enough. He walked quickly, and hailed a cab. Suddenly he couldn't wait to be back in his own house.  
  
Immediately after her shift, Tia raced home. "Mom, Dad?????? Hellooooo?" There was no answer. "Anyone? Anyone?" She sighed. Her family had greeted her when she had come home yesterday, but now it seemed everyone was running off into different directions. Even her family had changed. Her brothers older and more mature, her parents seemed older and more tired. The fact that her family changed really unnerved Tia. Her family was always supposed to be the same, reliable. If they had changed so much... what would her friends be like? Snapping out of her train of thought, Tia grabbed a piece of paper from the pad on the fridge(at least that would never change). Quickly she jotted down a note.   
Mom, Dad, anyone who reads this.  
Went to Andy's, possibly Conners. I'll be home later! Mucho amor,  
Tia.  
Quickly she threw on a red halter top, and a pair of black capris. She grabbed her flip-flops, and started walking to Andy's. As she reached the familliar neighbourhood, tears welled up in her eyes. "I'm so glad to be home..." she thought to herself. A wave of homesickness washed over her, even though she was already home. She noticed Evans house, and decided to stop there to see if Evan was coming home. She rang the familliar doorbell. Evan answered the door. Tia couldn't believe her eyes, it was the most perfect surprise. "Ummm.. Tee??" Evan said, sounding confused. Tia realized she hadn't said anything yet. She threw herself into Evan's arms. "Evaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan! Oh my god.. I've missed you so so so so so so so so so much!" she said tears pouring down her face. It must've been the 8438478397 time she'd cried/nearly cried since she was back, but she didn't care. Evan burst out laughing. "Well, you're definitely the same Tia." Tia giggled and hit him playfully on the arm. "Evannnn you KNOW you love me! Now tell me how you're been! I wanna know everything!" Evan laughed again and smiled at her fondly. Seeing him smiling at her was so.. perfect.. like curling up under a blanket by the fire on the coldest nights, or like drinking a cup of hot chocolate. "Everything? Maybe you should define everything Tee." She smiled a wide smile. "Everything means EVERYTHING. When did you get home? What's been going on? How are you? Come on Evan, don't tease me, you know I'm dying to know."   
"Welll... I got home yesterday. Nothing's been going on. This morning I woke up, watched some bad television, and read National Geographic. I'm doing pretty damn good, thanks for asking."   
"Evannn! You know I want more info! How's Berkeley? And Jade? And your parents?" Tia whined.  
Evan laughed again. "God it's good too see you Tia. Honestly. I love Berkeley and everything, but it's not the same. You look amazing. I wanna know what's been going on with you?"   
"I know exactly what you mean.. I don't think I realized how much I love Sweet Valley until I got back home. And I've missed you so much too- you look amazing!"  
"Tee.. I look exactly the same."  
Tia shook her head. "No.. you don't. I've known you so long.. that I can tell you've changed.. you've been through new experiences, and I can see that. And for the first time, I don't know the experiences, and I'm not laughing about them with you. It's a bit scary.." she trailed off as she began to cry again. "God I'm a mess. I'm so sorry Evan." A concerned expression flickered across Evan's face. He hugged Tia tightly. "Look, Tee.. yes everyone has gone their seperate ways. Yes we've experienced different things without one another. Yes we've all changed. But you know what? It doesn't matter. I'm still Evan, and you're still Tia. You're stuck with me as a friend, whether you like it or not. Ok?" Tia wiped the tears from her face and smiled. "Thanks Ev.. it's true. I dunno.. I'm just an emotional rollercoaster since I've got back- which would be yesterday." Evan laughed. Tia, Tia, Tia. Just smile and relax, ok? We're gonna have an awesome break." Again Tia smiled widely. "I know I Know I know!!!!!! It's gonna be so amazing Evan!"   
"Now you're talking.. what do you say we go check if Marsden is home yet?"   
"Sounds perfect. Let's go."  
Tia and Evan linked arms and walked over to the Marsdens, with identical smiles on their faces. All the weird feelings had evaporated, and she had an amazing feeling about this.  
  
"Jeremy, Dahlingg.. please be so kind to take my bags for me? I apologize, but my thin, weak little arms cannot do an efficient job." Jeremy looked at Jessica. "Jessica... DAHLING... take your bags yourself!" Jessica burst out laughing. "I guess I still have yet to whip you." Jeremy smiled. "Yup. And I for one am disappointed Jess, we've been going out for almost a year now, you're devastatingy gorgeous, nice, funny, and I'm not whipped? You're definitely loosing your touch, Wakefield." Jessica looked at Jeremy with mock surprise. "You're right! Oh my god, I'm RUINED! RUINEDDDDD!" she said before breaking out in a peal of giggles. Jeremy smiled at her happily. "Jess, you're so amazing." She smiled back. "So are you, Aames." He smiled and pulled her into his arms for a quick kiss. "God, I cannot believe we're back home Jer. I'm gonna see Lizzie! I miss that ugly girl so much!" Jessica said with a laugh. "Ugly? Umm Jess.. she is your twin.. as in identical.. but hey, believe what you want." Jessica smiled. "No, but I really cannot wait. And I hope Tia is here, and Evan, and Andy, and Maria, and Ken, and EVEN Jade!"   
"You're missing a name there Jess."  
"Who? Oh.. Conner. Well I really could care less if the idiot is back. He'll probably insist on being rude to everyone, hiding the fact that this is the highlight of his pathetic life."  
"Jessica, that's a little mean.."  
Jessica ignored him and continued."And he'll ignore the fact that he is desperately in love with Liz, and if he could just pull his head out of his butt, they could BOTH admit it." Jeremy laughed again. "So you're going from hating the guy to wanting him to be with your sister, also your best friend?"  
Jessica sighed. "As much as it pains me to admit it, I know they love each other. They'll make each other happy. And if they are BOTH here, I know Liz will be here, but if the idiot is here, I will NOT rest until they are together, ok Jer?"  
Jeremy laughed again. "Sorry Jess, you're just a little bit scary when you're so determined."  
Jessica socked him on the arm lightly.  
"Come on, let's get going so we can get home! Now really, Jer, can you take my bags?" 


	3. What The Hell?

**I forgot to mention I don't own Sweet Valley or any of the characters! And I wasn't sure what Conner's house looked like, so I made it up.**  
  
  
Elizabeth pulled her bag along as quickly as she could. Now she really wished she'd spent tht extra $20 for a suitcase with wheels. The bag was heavy and she wasn't making much progress. She kept her head down and pulled. If only she hadn't gotten so much reading homework for the break, than maybe she'd be able to lift the damn bag. Without meaning to, she backed into someone- hard. Quickly she turned around. "I'm so so sorry- Oh my god!" She couldn't believe who it was.He smiled at her, and to her surprise her heart began to pound."Don't worry about it Liz. Now how bout I get your bag for you?" She nodded slowly. "What are you doing back here?" He laughed. "Same thing you're doing Liz. Visting my family for Christmas, and taking a break from University." Liz was shocked. "But.. but you were supposed to be going to SVU, weren't you?"A dark look flashed over his face quickly, but it disappeared and his face melted into the same easygoing smile she knew so well. "SVU wasn't for me. I wanted to start all over again, and SVU just wasn't the place to do it. I actually ended up in Lousiana, at Mcneese." He said with a laugh. So that explained the tan. "Well.. it's really, really great to see you." Liz said with a smile. It was. Her heart was fluttering and she couldn't deny it.   
  
The taxi finally pulled up to his home. Conner was home. He couldn't believe it. A wide smile flashed across his face, and he knocked on the door. No answer. He waited for a few minutes, confused. He knocked again. Still nothing. What the hell? Where the hell was his mom and Sandy? Maybe they were asleep. He pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and called his house. He could hear the phone ringing from outside. "Hi, we're not home right now! Please leave a message at the beep!" his sister's perky voice said. So wait? They forgot about him? How could they do that? He remembered there was a key that was underneath the welcome mat. He lifted it, and sure enough it was there. Conner opened the door cautiously. Maybe they were at one of Megan's soccer games. Who knew? As he walked inside, rage washed over him. This wasn't his house. The house used to be a nice bright aqua colour. Now it was a deep red. There were new pictures on the coffee table. Megans junior picture. A picture of Megan and his mom. A picture of his mom and a strange man. What.The.Hell. There were no pictures of him. So what was this? Forget about your son? Replace him with someone else? He was disgusted. He left his bag in the middle of the floor and walked out. Screw this. He wasn't sticking around for this bullshit.   
  
Tia and Evan rang Andy's familliar doorbell. No one was coming. "Grrrr..." Tia growled impatiently. She rang the doorbell repeatedly until Evan pried her hand off. "Tee! Whoaaa! Calm down! Don't worry!" Tia pouted. "Andy has to be home! His parents told me he was!" Just then, the door opened, and a sleeply looking Andy answered. "ANDY!!!!!!!" Tia yelled! She threw herself into his arms and gave him a huge kiss on the cheek. "Umm Tee? I am gay, remember?" he said. Tia laughed. "I love you Andy! Oh my gosh! I've missed you so much!" Andy smiled. "I've missed you too Tee, it's amazing to see you." Andy noticed Evan and laughed. "You're definitely still hogging conversations Tia. Hey Ev." Andy said smiling. Evan smiled back. "Marsdennn! I've missed your lame ass jokes!" Andy laughed again and Evan and Andy hugged briefly. There was an awkward silence. "So..." Andy started. Tia didn't want any of this to be awkward. They were best friends. "Andy. Go upstairs. Get dressed. As fast as you can. We've gotta get Conner. And Jess and Liz, if they're coming here. And anyone else who's coming here. We are having an all day reunion. We can start out at the beach. End the night at the Riot. Whatever. It doesn't matter. Just hurry, time's wasting!" Tia said stomping her foot to emphasize her point. Andy laughed. "Your wish is my command." And he retreated upstairs quickly. Evan smiled at Tia. "You, and only you could pull that off." Tia laughed happily. "I know, I'm just so amazing, right?" Evans hands went in the air. "Hey, I'm not disagreeing." Was it just Tia, or was there a spark in between them? Her and Evan? She never really thought about it. But suddenly it seemed so right. 


	4. So What's his number again?

Liz walked up to her house. Calico drive. So familliar. Taking a deep breath, she turned around. "Thanks so much for all your help Todd. I really appreciate it." Elizabeth said with a sweet smile. Todd flashed an easy-going grin at her. "No problem Elizabeth, it really was my pleasure." A few seconds passed, but it was a comfortable silence. "Well.. I guess I really should get inside..." Liz said trailing off slowly. "Yeah, definitely. Look, I'll give you a call soon okay? Maybe we could go for a coffee or something, catch up, you know?" The invitation from Todd made Liz's heart flutter a bit. It felt nice to know she wasn't immune to a good-looking guy. And for the record, Todd was just as good-looking as Conner. "Yeah, that would be great! Thanks again Todd." Liz chirped brightly. Quickly, the two hugged. "Bye Liz." Liz waved and smiled in response.  
  
The doorbell rang. "AHHHHHHHHH! It's Liz! I know it! It's Liz!" Alice Wakefield looked at her daughter. "Jessica! Please, try to be a bit more quiet, oK?" With an exasperated sigh, Jessica looked at her mother. "Mom, I'm sorry, but it's Liz. Honestly, she's only my sister and best friend, and your daughter!" Alice laughed. "Okay, Okay Jess. I get it. Now go get the door!" Trembling a bit, Jessica stood up. She knew it was Liz. She could feel it. Somehow she was nervous to see her sister. What would she be wearing? Would she still look the same? The two still talked all the time, but she hadn't seen her since August. Jessica threw open the door and sure enough, it was Liz. Tears came to Jessica's eyes. Elizabeth was the picture of poise and class. She had her hair pin straight and down, and she had on a pair of black pinstriped pants, and a sleeveless white turtleneck. She even had on gorgeous make-up: smoky eyes and clear gloss on her lips. "Liz!!" Jessica exclaimed. "Jess!!" Elizabeth yelled back. The twins grabbed each other and began hugging, laughing and crying at the same time. "Oh my god Jessica, you look so beautiful!" Jessica looked down at her peasant top with flowy sleeves,her camel coloured skirt, and suede knee high boots. "Me? Nahh.. I just threw this together! But you! God Liz you're so sophisticated!" Elizabeth laughed. "Well I figured I might as well arrive in style! But look at your hair! I love it!" Jessica smiled, glowing with happiness. She looked at her hair. It was in loose ringlets. "Thanks! I wasn't too sure if I liked it at first, but it really grew on me!"   
The sound of Mrs.Wakefield's voice from the dining room was carried to the front door.  
"Elizabeth and Jessica Wakefield! Get in here now! Other people are dying to see you!"   
Jessica and Elizabeth looked at each other, and promptly burst into giggles. "Alright mom, we're coming!" Jessica nudged Liz and they both broke into peals of laughter. They linked arms and walked into the dining room. The Wakefield family was reunited, happily and tearfully.   
  
Elizabeth Wakefield:  
Jessica looks beautiful.   
Her and Jeremy look so amazingly happy together.   
Mom and Dad? They look amazing too.   
Steven even has a beautiful new girlfriend.   
I guess one Wakefield had to be unlucky in love...  
  
Conner walked. He wasn't sure how long he had been walking. He just needed to clear his head. Desperately. Finally he decided to walk back home. The door was unlocked. The happy family was home. He didn't knock. He barged inside. Noisily. "Conner! Sorry we missed you earlier, we had to go to Megan's soccer game. We didn't mean to take so long, it went into overtime! You should've seen your sister, she was amazing!" Mrs.Mcdermott seemed so happy he was home. Too bad he didn't care. Megan came running down the stairs. "McD! I've missed you so so much!" Briefly Conner smiled at her. It wasn't her fault. Suddenly a man emerged from the kitchen. Not just a man. THE man. In photo. And he was smiling. At Conner. As if he knew him. "Hello there. You must be Conner. I'm Clark. It's nice to finally meet you." He extended his hand to Conner. Right. Like Conner really was gonna shake it. He turned around and walked out the door.   
  
"Now that has got to be the best meal I've had all year! Thanks so much mom and dad, it truly was delicious! Cafeteria food just does not compare." Although her heart wasn't really in it, Liz still really did appreciate her parents efforts. Even though she had just gotten home, she did want to see her friends. She could see her family all break. And it soooo necessary that she at least saw Tia and Maria. Jessica caught Liz's eyes. It was obvious Jess knew what she was thinking. "Umm Mom, Dad? Me and Liz were kinda invited to have a small.. umm rendez-vous with all our friends from SVH.. sooo would you mind if we went?" "Ummm Captain Obvious much?" Liz thought to herself. Alice and Ned exchanged a look. Unfortunately Liz couldn't read it very well. "Well.." her mother began. "Yes? Go on .." Alice sighed and shrugged. "Alright, why not? Go have some fun." "Mom! Thanks so much!" Both Liz and Jess rushed to her side and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "We'll be gooood, I promise!" Jessica said with a wink. Mr. and Mrs.Wakefield laughed. "Okkkk Jess, I'm suuure you will." Alice's voice was filled with sarcasm, and she was smiling happily. "Have fun girls!" "We will" Jessica and Elizabeth said together in a singsong voice. They got up from the table, put on shoes, and Jessica pulled out her cellphone. "So, what's Conner's number again?" 


	5. To call or not to call?

*** Please keep the reviews coming guys, I love getting feedback and they really keep me motivated!***  
  
Conner sighed. Here he was, home from Boston, and he was sitting in HOJ all alone. Suddenly he wasn't so psyched to be home anymore. It was so not cool of his mom just to move some new guy in without telling him. What, so you send your son off to college and forget about him? He doesn't exist? With a sigh, Conner took out his cellphone. His fingers hovered over some familliar numbers. He had called this number an infinite amount of time. More than he would like to admit. More than she knew. Now the only question was, to call or not to call?  
  
"Alright guys, now... we can take a slight detour and grab a triple mocha with extra whipped cream, or we can go straigt to Conner's. Feedback?" Evan burst out laughing. "I say detour. Aren't we great friends?" he said raising his eyebrows at Tia and Andy. "Whatever Evan, come on, you know how much we've done for Conner. He won't mind."   
"I hate to say this.. but I'm going to agree with Tia. I need some caffeine so my eyelids actually have a chance of staying open."   
"Now do I have the best ideas, or what?" Tia asked proudly.   
"Tee, you really don't need the ego-boost, but I really do need the coffee. Let's go!" Andy exclaimed, sounding even more tired. "Alright, alright! Once we get our coffee, we get Conner. Then we proceed to get Liz and Jess. Next comes Maria and Ken, and Jade, if any of the previously mentioned people are actually here." Evan blushed deeply. "Umm.. Jade's not coming.." Tia looked confused. "And why not?" Evan shrugged carelessy. "I don't know... she's just not. Just so you guys don't ask any questions, webrokeup. Ok?" The whole last sentence was mumbled. "You broke up? Why?" Naturally Tia heard. "Basically, Jade goes to University. There are plenty of good-looking guys in University. Evan is at a whole other University. Jade can now cheat, and not get caught." Evan was unable to keep traces of bitterness out of his voice and he looked at the floor. "Man.. that sucks. I'm sorry Ev." Andy said, unsure what to do. "Yeah.. Evan.. wow,I seriously thought she was over that whole female Conner thing." Tia looked sympathetically. "Me and Trent broke up too, but I'm fine. You're fine.You don't need Jade. And now it's time to get that triple mocha-" Tia's cellphone cut off her sentence. "Hello??? Liz!??!? Jess??!?!? Which one of you is it? Oh my goshhh! Wow! That's amazing! I miss you guys so so so so much! Honestly! You'll never believe who's here! Me, Evan, and Andy! And we're gonna get Conner and Maria and Ken and anyone! Yeah, right now we're headed tO HOJ, you guys in? Okay, see you soon! Muah!" Evan and Andy looked at each other and tried not to laugh. "whaat?" Tia whined and stamped her foot. Now they did laugh. "You're just so unbelievably.. Tia.." Andy said. "Whatever.In case you're wondering, which I KNOW you are, that was Jess. Her and Liz are awesome, and apparently Liz looks like a supermodel. At that point Liz cuts in and says Jess looks like a supermodel. Anyway, Jeremy is here with Jess, cuz well they're still going STRONG, and they're coming to HOJ to meet us there. Then, we get Stoic Boy, and anyone else. So that's the game plan. Geez I can't wait to see Liz and Jess!" 


	6. What you can't have, you can't resist

**Thanks for the reviews! They really keep me going! I'm really going to try and get some L/C in this chapter, but if not, definitely in the next one! I just write, I don't plan these chapters out at all, so that's why they haven't interacted just yet.**  
  
"okay, Elizabeth, are you ready to go yet?" Jessica asked impatiently. "Yeah sure, just one sec.. umm I want a glass of water, ok?" Jessica sighed and tapped her foot listlessy.Once Elizabeth had finished her glass, Jessica opened her mouth again. "So, we're ready now?" Elizabeth frowned. "Well, we would be, but I just have to make a pit stop to the bathroom, ok?" Letting out a moan of frustation, Jessica glared at Liz. "Fine. But hurry." Jessica said stressing the word hurry. 5 minutes passed. "Elizabeth.. what is taking so long??" Jessica asked while pounding on the bathroom door. "Oh! Nothing, sorry, it's just, my eyeliner doesn't look quite right. I'll be out in a second!" Liz said nervously. "Elizabeth Wakefield.. you have TWO minutes.. or else!" Elizabeth couldn't help but giggle. "Or else what?"   
"Don't worry about that, just hurry up!" As quietly as she could, Jessica walked into her room. She grabbed the doorknob that connected to their joint bathroom, and stepped in. Elizabeth was sitting on the counter, looking dazed and confused. Jessica sat down beside her. "Okay Liz.. what's wrong?" Elizabeth shrugged. "I just don't know Jess... I'm nervous and scared and I dunno it shouldn't be like that." Jessica stared Elizabeth right in the eyes. "Why are you so scared and nervous? It wouldn't be because of a certain guy named Conner, would it be?" Liz averted Jessica's stare and looked at the bathroom wall. "Well.. not per se..." she trailed off. A silence followed. Jessica sighed. "Liz, it's gonna be okay. I promise. Honestly, nothing bad is gonna happen. You guys parted on great terms, if I remember correctly, and I'm sure I do. So let's just go. I know you're dying to see Tia and everyone, and even Conner too. Please?" Liz's face broke into a smile. "Yeah.. I am really psyched to see everyone. You're totally right Jess." Jessica laughed. "And when am I not?"   
"Umm let's see.. the time you dumped Jeremy for Will.. when you wore the dark green nail polish with the matching lipstick, when you thought that-"  
"Okay Okay Okay! I get it!" Now they were both at the point of tears from laughing so hard. They linked arms and walked out together. Everything had changed, but somehow, everything was the same.  
Tia, Andy and Evan walked into HOJ. "That triple mocha is gonna taste so amazing! No one makes them like HOJ." Tia exclaimed happily, taking in the familliar decor of HOJ. Everything looked the same. The same tables, the same furniture, it was all wonderfully perfect."Isn't it so great how HOJ looks exactly the same? I like it. It's something you can always count on. Like if Jessica and Jeremy broke up, which is totally impossible, HOJ would still be the same. You know if HOJ has changed it's like time for the apocalypse or something." Tia said, still looking all around HOJ. Suddenly, a figure caught her eye. *That looks a lot like... Conner... doesn't it?* she thought. He was sitting at a table with a tattered notebook and a cup of coffee. *I bet it's straight black coffee* Tia thought, an amused smile playing on her lips. It was amazing how well she knew Conner. "Hey, guys?." she said quickly, interupting Evan. "Looks like our master plan didn't go quite as expected.. in fact it went better." Tia said cockily. "Umm what? Tee.. I have NO clue what you're talking about..." Evan looked confused as he said this. Smiling coyly, Tia pointed her long manicured nail at Conner. "Could it be, that that's Conner, Stoic Boy, who we were planning on meeting after HOJ?" Andy and Evan laughed. "That's weird how it all worked out like that. I admit it Tee, you're good." Evan said smiling in the direction of Conner. "Alright, I say we go over. C'mon guys." Tia said,already walking towards Conner. She was surprised she hadn't lost her composure and ran giddily the whole way, but she knew he wasn't fond of making a big scene in public. Besides, she could save the big scene for Liz and Jess. Behind her, Andy and Evan followed, much more slowly, seeing as Andy was still half-asleep. That much was obvious, he hadn't made any sarcastic remarks for too long. The familliar bell on the door of HOJ rang out. Tia looked to the door, and saw two blonde twins walk in.   
Conner Mcdermott:  
Okay, so yeah, this thing with my mom blows.  
Really blows. But I shouldn't do the classic  
me thing and take it out on people who don't  
deserve it. Like Liz. I know I can't have her,  
so of course, it's like that stupid saying   
what you can't have, you can't resist.   
Whatever. I'll deal with it as it comes. 


	7. The reunion continues

**Sigh... I read Sweet 18 again and cried again! Geez! I just cannot believe Sweet Valley is over, I've been reading them since I was SIX years old. I'm almost sixteen now! It's insane! I was totally the Wakefield triplet, cuz I'm blonde and blue-eyed, 5'6 and have both their traits! lol, sorry I just had to get that out, and I'm feeling so nostalgic that I had to write, so you get the chapter earlier than planned! Anyway, I'm not too sure how to unmush my paragraphs, because I write these in Notepad, not word. But I am really trying my best! Thanks for all the reviews, keep them coming! :)**   
As Elizabeth walked into HOJ, she gripped Jessica's hand tightly. *It's gonna be ok.. everything will be fine.* She thought tensely. The first thing she saw was Evan. She smiled brightly. It really had been too long, and Evan was always an amazing friend to her. Beside her, she heard Jessica laughing. She looked over at her, and they both burst into giggles. Together they took long strides towards Andy, Tia, and Evan. At first, Liz just stared at Andy, Tia, and Evan. They were actually in front of her, after all these months. Tia was still impossibly petite, Evan was still.. well, he was still Evan, and Andy was just as Andy as ever. Jessica squealed and threw herself into Tia's arms. Elizabeth grinned and followed suit, throwing herself in Evan's arms. Andy laughed. "Hey to you to Liz, and Jess. Thanks for totally shafting me." Jessica smiled. "Andy! You know I love you!" and she threw herself into Andy's arms. Meanwhile, Liz was still hugging Evan fiercely, almost afraid to let go. "Hey Liz." he said happily. "Evan, man I missed you! Honestly, we have to have one of our talks soon, you know?" She released herself from Evan and grabbed Tia in a hug. "Tee.. oh my.. I miss your advice so so much! I mean my roomie Sandie helps me out, but it's just not the same!" Tia smiled. "I know, I totally miss giving you advice! Usually you're totally misguided, and well, it gives me a power trip!" she said laughing. "I'm glad to know I boost your ego Tia!" Tia looked at Elizabeth, trying to keep a straight face. "Well Liz, you know me, I'm always truthful, ok?" Both Liz and Tia laughed again and hugged. Finally, Liz walked over to Andy, and hugged him tightly. "Hey.. Liz." He said happily. "I can't believe you didn't have any sort of sarcastic remark Andy! I'm disappointed!" Andy smiled. "I'm too tired to be up to my usual par. Once I get my coffee.. well you definitely won't be disappointed." Jessica laughed and rolled her eyes. "Whatever Andy. I bet this year you changed into a huge study geek and just don't want to admit it!" Elizabeth laughed, but something was tugging at her mind. "Something doesn't feel right.." she mused. Jessica looked puzzled for a second, but then smacked her forehead. "Liz! WE FORGOT JEREMY!!!" Everyone laughed now. "Good job guys! We should've known the two blondes would have messed up SOMEHOW!" Evan said playfully. "Arghhhh this is so not cool. I hope he's not mad. You guys do the little reunion thing and I'm calling him." Jessica stepped away from the group, muttering to herself. Tia turned to Liz nervously. "Hey Liz.. before you came we were just about to go over there.." she said pointing her thumb at Conner. "and.." she said, continuing. "well.. it's Conner. We haven't said hey yet.. are you cool with going over there?" Elizabeth blushed. Everyone looked so over concerned. Had she really been that messed up over Conner? "Um, yeah.. I'm fine. We did part on good terms, you know?" Evan smiled broadly. "Man, I'm so glad you guys are being so mature about the whole deal." Andy smiled micheviously. "Yeah, we don't need another Liz and Conner drama, although I must admit, Tia did basically start that." Tia glared at Andy. "Hello? I thought we had agreed that never happened! Honestly Andy!" Evan shrugged. "Whatever guys, we all did some pretty messed up stuff Senior Year. So let's just.. move on." At exactly the same time, Tia and Elizabeth whined "But what if we don't want to?" The two looked at each and burst into a combination of laughter and tears. "Senior year was so the best... I miss it so much.. it's insane." Tia started, as her laughter subsided and the tears continued. "Okay guys.. please, let's not go down the whole emotional thing. Tee, you've cried way too much already. Let's go over to Conner." Elizabeth's heart pounded. She didn't mind waiting just a bit before seeing Conner. *It's now or never Liz. Get a grip.* her conscience nagged at her. Jessica rejoined the group, looking satisfied. "Jer is gonna meet us at Crescent Beach in about 30 minutes, cuz that's our next destination. So I say we regroup, head home, and get our bathing suits ready." Evan smiled widely. "Jess man, awesome plan. But we've gotta run over to McD." A brief scowl flashed across Jessica's face, but determination seemed to win over. "Yeah! That's a great idea!" Jessica said with a bit too much enthusiasm. She grabbed Liz by the arm and pulled her towards Conner. Everyone else followed. The walk to his table seemed as if it lasted less than a millisecond. Jessica pushed Liz right in front of Conner and then backed away. At that very second Conner looked up. "Li- Elizabeth."  
  
**Hehe.. that was a cruel way to end the chapter I know. Sorry guys! I promised they would interact, and well.. they pretty much did! So until next time...** 


	8. The essence of innocence

**Hey Guys! Sorry about last time.. I hope this chapter satisfies you, and I should be updating pretty much now that I'm on March break! I'm working on an orginal fic that I'll put on fictionpress.net. If anyone wants the name of it, just let me know. Until next time, enjoy!**  
Conner was annoyed. At the center of HOJ there was a really large group of teenagers. He was feeling so drained of energy, and they were so loud. He put his head in his hands and took a deep breath. His shoulder muscles were knotted, his neck stiff, and his back was tense. What he needed was to lie down. Conner lifted his head, and immediately found himself looking in Elizabeth Wakefields eyes. She was so beautiful- she looked so much more mature and so much more sophisticated, but she still had the essence of innocence. She was everything he wasn't. Before he could stop himself, he heard himself say her name. She smiled shakily. "Conner..." she said. He couldn't take his eyes off her, although he was vaguely aware that Tia,Evan, Andy, and Jessica were there. Conner just kept staring at Elizabeth. Everyone looked confused. *Oh.. right.. I'm supposed to say something.* he thought, berating himself for his idiocy. Finally, Tia stepped forward. "Hey Conner." she said softly. She smiled a wide-toothed smile, and it was obvious how much she missed him. And it was obvious how much he missed her. Conner averted his eyes from Liz and smiled a genuine smile. "Hey Tee. Ev. Andy. Jess. Liz. It's.. good to see you all." he said. Tia giggled. "Could you be any more Connerish? What are you doing, just sitting there? C'mon, give us all hugs!" she said. Conner shrugged. He wasn't about to put up at fight. He stood up and pulled Tia into a huge bear hug. "Conner!" she squealed. "You're hurting me!" Conner laughed, and let up on the pressure a bit. Tia's eyes were shining with happiness, and he realized that he really missed her. Next he gave Jessica a small hug. Both of them were a bit stiff, obviously there was still bad blood between them. But still, he smiled, and said "Hey Jess." She smiled back. It didn't mean they were going to be best friends, but it was a start. Andy came up to Conner and they briefly hugged, too. "Man I missed your lame ass jokes, Marsden." Andy laughed. "And I missed your lame ass company." Conner smiled. "Whatever man." Evan came next. "McD!" Conner smiled and hugged Evan too. "Plummer! Man, I've missed your stupid little environmental rants!" Evan just laughed. He threw his hands up in the air. "Whatever man, you know you agree, even if you don't want to admit it." Conner tried to laugh, but it seemed as though it was stuck in his throat. Elizabeth was next. He looked at her. She had her arms crossed against her chest, and she looked so nervous. So unsure of herself. He couldn't just not hug her, after hugging everyone. But how would he react with her in his arms again? Finally, he walked over to her. "Hey." She smiled softly. "Hey." He pulled her into his arms, and he hugged her gently. She returned the hug. Just standing there.. hugging her.. it was more than he deserved. He knew it. Hugging Liz was more than he deserved, and he knew it. But at that very second, everything in the world seemed to stop. It was just him and Liz. And that very same spark they always had was still there, and it felt stronger than ever. Before he could get too caught up in the moment, he released her. Everyone was watching the two of them with anticipation, so Conner turned away. "So.. uh.. whats the plan for today?" Jessica smiled happily. "Weeelll.. it was totally my idea, and we're gonna hit the beach first, than the Riot, and I say the girls have a little slumber party too." she said proudly. Evan laughed. "Why not a co-ed slumber party?" Andy laughed. "Right Evan. Please. Keep your perverse fantasies out of this." Beside Andy, Tia seriously seemed to be considering the idea. "Thats not bad.. I mean we're all adults, none of us are romantically involved.. well besides Jess and Jer, but a slumber party? That wouldn't be new for the two of them." Jessica reddened. "Whatever Tia! I do recall a slumber party with Trent after prom? And what about one with C-" Now Tia reddened and she cut her off before she could continue. "Um hello? Ancient history much? Anyway, back to the co-ed sleepover thing, it would be pretty awesome. We could watch bad movies, that kinda thing. And who knows when we could do it again?" Everyone looked at Tia skeptically. "Okay! Whatever! Just think about it. I'm sure you'll see it from my point of view eventually. Suddenly Liz smacked her forehead. "Oh my.. I was supposed to call Maria! She said she might be coming home but she wasn't positive! Ugh! I'm so ditzy." Andy smirked, casting a disappointed look at Liz. "And I thought you're supposed to be the responsible twin?" Liz glared at him. "Ugh! I'm sorry! Look, let's regroup to get our bathing suits and stuff, and while we're at home I'll call Maria, and we can meet at the beach. Ok?" Everyone nodded in agreement. As they seperated again, Conner couldn't decide if he wanted to talk to Liz or not. Suddenly he realized there was one problem. Getting a bathing suit meant going home. Going home meant seeing his family. Yeah, right. That wasn't gonna happen. He'd rather just not go to the beach.  
  
Tia Ramirez  
A co-ed sleepover? How cool would that be?  
OK.. I know it sounds so dumb and junior high,  
but honestly it has potential. There's nothing  
I want more than to kick back, relax, and  
spend the night with my closest friends.   
I think the reason it sounds stupid is because of  
the whole sleepover thing. Sleepovers are for kids.  
So... let's just call it... ummm.. an all-nighter?   
A 24 hour Tia fest? I'll work on it. 


	9. Fairytale ending

**Okay guys, I kinda changed something small about this chapter. Instead of making Conner's lyrics about his relationship with Liz, they're just about his thoughts on love in general. I couldn't figure out how to word that, so I just went with the same heading as Liz. Anyway, so that's all until next time! Oh yah.. and Liz's song is Head Over Feet by Alanis Morisette.Thanks to everyone who reviewed, keep them coming!**  
"Eeeeeeeeeeeee!" Jessica squealed happily, as she and Liz sat in the jeep. Liz stared at Jessica blankly. "Umm...ok?" Jessica smiled. "Oh my... Liz, Conner was so obviously mesmerized by you!" Liz grinned. "He was? I mean, I wasn't sure.. but I thought he might've been. Well.. it sorta seemed like it." Jessica smiled cockily. "I knew it! He's still one hundred percent in love with you Liz! Now, all you have to do is wear a totally hot bikini for the beach, he'll drool and everything will work out!" Liz sighed dramatically. "Ever the optimist, eh Jess? As.. awesome... as that would be.. I don't know, I doubt it will happen. I'm just surprised he even touched me."   
"Don't be. He's never gotten over you." A smile played on Elizabeths lips although she tried to hide it. She pulled into their driveway, and they hopped out of the car. "Hey mom and dad! We're just here to get some beach gear!" Jessica called out, as she ran up the stairs. "Ok girls! Have fun!" Mrs.Wakefield yelled back. Jessica raced into her room and pulled out any bathing suits she could find. "Aha! It's still here! YES!" she shrieked, pulling out her american flag string bikini. Elizabeth smiled. "Nice selection Jess."   
"Yeah, I know! Now, what are you wearing"? Elizabeth shrugged. "I guess my black tankini?" Jessica sighed. "No Liz. This is crucial. Beyond crucial. The black tankini it out." Elizabeth furrowed her brow. "Umm.. what about..my flowered one-piece?" Jessica let out an exasperated breath. "No Liz. One pieces are out. You need a bikini. You've gotta go the full nine yards. Here." Jessica said, handing Elizabeth her baby pink bikini.  
"Take this. It's perfect."  
Elizabeth blushed. "But.. it's so.. skimpy. I'll just wear the tankini." As she said this, she reached for the tankini. Jessica laughed. "Ah ah ah Liz.. pas de one-piece! Conner is gonna drool. You're wearing the pink one." Elizabeth shrugged. "Fine. Whatever. Let's just get ready." As soon as Elizabeth said that, her cellphone rang. "Hello?"  
"Hey Liz! Girlfriend! It's Maria!"  
"I'm here.. as in Sweet Valley! I miss you so much!"  
"Oh my gosh Maria! We're all headed to Crescent Beach, so meet us there, k? I would talk longer but I have to get ready."  
"Sounds good! I've got a certain blond football player here with me, so we'll definitely be there!"   
"Awesome! I'll see you then!"  
"Bye Liz!"  
Elizabeth hung up the phone with an ear to ear grin. "Maria's coming.. this just seems to get better and better." Still, as happy as she was, something nagged at the back of her mind. Conner. She knew it was him. It would be nice to have a fairytale ending, but she knew that wasn't likely. This was Conner they were talking about.  
  
Meanwhile, Conner contemplated his situation. He definitely wanted to go to the beach. But he had no bathing suit. What should he do? There was no way he was going home, to see that stupid Clark jerk. Who did he think he was anyway, invading his family like that? They were fine. Him, Meagan, and his mother. It had been perfect. Finally, Conner decided just to go to the beach in his jeans. What was the big deal? It wasn't like he was gonna swim, right? He just wanted some quality time with his best friends and he was going to do that.  
  
Tia hurried home, pondering the whole way. Was she imagining the spark between her and Evan? Now it seemed as though he was totally fixated on Elizabeth. He couldn't be going down that route again, could he? It was so clear Conner was infatuated with Liz, and now Evan too? Why should Liz get both of them? That wasn't fair, was it? And why should she care? Sighing, she let herself into the house. No one was home. Still. Had her parents forgotten about their only daughter, home from school? Tia walked upstairs to her room, and pulled out her fire engine red bikini. She put it on, relieved that she hadn't put on the freshmen 15. At least, not yet. She looked around her familliar room. There were so many memories there. Her eye caught two pictures, both from prom, but from two different proms. One of her and Angel, and one of her and Trent. She had loved them both, Angel and Trent. She had always thought she and Angel were meant to be together. And then when Trent came along, Tia really believed they had something special. It was all College and University's fault. With them, everyone had developped seperate lives. And all that kept them together were the memories. But they were making new memories at school... and those slowly replaced the old ones. The old memories that weren't replaced seemed tarnished and old. With those depressing thoughts, Tia resolved to make plenty of memories of this break. She didn't want anyone to forget her... and most of all, she didn't want to forget how much her old friends meant to her.  
  
Elizabeth Wakefield:  
Lyrics to describe me during mine and Conner's relationship:  
You've already won me over in spite of me  
Don't be alarmed if I fall head over feet  
Don't be surprised if I love you for all that you are  
I couldn't help it  
It's all your fault  
Lyrics to describe Conner and his thoughts about love, just in general:  
They call me superman,  
leap tall hoes in a single bound,  
I'm single now, got no ring on this finger now,  
I'll never let another chick bring me down in a relationship,  
save it bitch, babysit  
You make me sick,  
Superman ain't savin' shit,  
girl you can jump on Shady's dick  
....  
So am I wrong to think this might not work out? 


	10. Shopping Time!

Elizabeth and Jessica arrived at the beach. Everyone was already there... with the exception of Ken,Maria, and Conner.   
  
"Hey guys! Over here!" Tia called, pointing to where their stuff was. They dropped off their stuff, and Jessica immediately stripped down to her bikini.   
  
"Woo! Go Jess!" Tia yelled, and then whistled. Someone laughed,   
  
"Tee, sorry, but Jess is mine, ok?"   
  
It was Jeremy! "Jer! I'm so sorry that I kinda forgot you before!" She said, running over to him and jumping into his arms.   
  
"Don't worry about it, Jess." Jeremy said softly, giving her a quick kiss. Liz still hadn't taken off her t-shirt and denim shorts that she had thrown casually over her bikini. Just then, Maria and Ken arrived.   
  
"MARIA! KEN! OVER HERE!" Tia yelled at the top of her lungs.   
  
"Tee, watch out. I have a feeling the couple next to us is plotting to kill you." Andy said calmly.   
  
"Andy! It's not a crime to be excited!" she said with disdain. Ken and Maria came over and Liz ran over to Maria. "Hey Liz! Wow, you look so beautiful!" Liz smiled. "You do too. How's YALE?" she asked excitedly. "We have a LOT to talk about Liz, okay? I'm just so happy to see you!" Maria and Ken quickly said hi to everyone else. (A/N: Can you tell I'm sick of reunions?)   
  
"Alright guys, cmon we're going in the ocean!" Evan said, grabbing Elizabeth and Tia by their arms. Tia laughed.   
  
"I'm not protesting! But Liz, do me a favour and take off your shorts and t-shirt!"  
  
Liz laughed meekly. "Well.. I'm not gonna go in the water right away. I think I'll um.. take a quick breather."   
  
Both Tia and Evan put their hands on their hips and stared at her skeptically. "  
  
Well.. you know.. I thought that I'd.. umm sort of brainstorm for what else we could do? Besides the Riot? I could even, uh.. iron out the details of the sleepover?" Immediately Tia and Evan both gave in, cause they were totally supporting the idea of hanging out all night.   
  
"Well.. fine. But you better come in later, k?" Tia said slowly.  
  
"Yeah, for sure guys. I just need to chill a bit." She lay down on her towel, still in her t-shirt and cut-offs. She had just started to doze off when she saw someone's shadow above her. Startled, she sat up quickly. She blinked a few times, very confused. Why would Conner show up at the beach in jeans?  
  
"Conner?" she asked skeptically.  
  
"Yeah, it's me." he said.  
  
She paused for a minute, trying to comprehend the situation. Her brain felt foggy from her interrupted nap. "But.. why... are you wearing.. jeans???" she asked slowly.  
  
"Long story. Basically I don't have a bathing suit."  
  
"Oh.." Liz said, trying to shield her eyes from the impossibly bright sun. Tia came out of the water, soaking wet.  
  
"Conner!" she said waving, as she ran over. "Why are you in jeans? This is the beach!"  
  
Conner groaned. "Look Tee, I don't have a bathing suit, ok?" He said evenly. Tia looked very skeptical.  
  
"Well... you can't just sit around here alone! Liz is coming in the water soon! Honestly Conner! Who doesn't have a bathing suit!" Tia was getting very worked up. Conner said nothing. He just shrugged.  
  
Tia sighed. "Fine. You and Liz are gonna have to go buy one. Honestly. Liz, I'm sorry, it's just that you're the only non-wet person. Just go to the nearest Walmart or K-mart or something and buy a bathing suit. Please."   
  
Liz looked at Conner. He smirked.  
  
"Well Liz, looks like we're going shopping." 


	11. Feminism and Chicken Fights

**Wow! Sorry i haven't updated in awhile! But this a long chapter, so I think you guys will be happy! :D:D Keep the reviews coming!**  
  
Elizabeth inhaled deeply. Her, and Conner, going shopping? Together? Alone? While she still obviously had feelings for him? When Conner smirked his trademark smirk, she just felt herself melt. She wondered how she would feel if he smiled genuinely. Finally she put on her brightest smile and shrugged. "Yup, I guess we are going shopping." she said, trying to sound nonchalant.   
  
Tia shot her a "You'll thank me later look" and said "Okay guys! Have funnnn!" She ran off, giggling, back to the ocean.   
  
Conner turned to Liz. "Alright, come on. We're taking my car."  
  
Liz shrugged. "I thought we'd take my car."  
  
Conner stared at her intently. "We're taking my car."  
  
Liz scoffed and looked right back into his eyes. "We're taking my car."   
  
Conner glared at her now. "Liz, we're taking my car."  
  
Elizabeth could feel herself getting angry. Why couldn't he just agree to take her stupid car? "Conner, we're taking my car!" she said, allowing the anger to creep into her voice.  
  
Conner shook his head and muttered "Women." under his breath.  
  
Liz caught that, and her face reddened. "What? You have a problem with the fact that I'm a woman?"  
  
Conner took a deep breath and finally replied "Well, maybe if you weren't such a stubborn woman you would just take my car."  
  
Liz's jaw-dropped. "Fine, point me to your car. Let's go. Now."  
  
Conner looked surprised. He hadn't expected her to get so worked up in the first place, and he definitely hadn't expected her to give up the fight so easily. "Okay. It's... um..." his mind felt blank.  
  
Liz looked impatient, which was out of character for her. "Well?"  
  
Suddenly his a thought dawned on Conner. His car was at home. With that bastard Clark. He had walked to the beach. "Oh.. umm.. I just remembered.. it's uh.. in the shop." he said slowly.  
  
Liz laughed loudly. "This is a joke right?"  
  
He shook his head.   
  
Liz threw her hands up in the air. "So you put upthis huge fight to take your damn car, you called ME stubborn, and now you don't even have it here????"  
  
Conner's neck felt hot, and he wasn't sure if it was a sunburn or embarrassment, or probably both. "Look Liz, I'm sorry."  
  
She let out a frustrated sigh and began walking. "Come on. Let's go to my car."  
  
Conner followed behind her, like a lost puppy dog. Finally they reached Elizabeth's Jeep. She sat down in the drivers seat, and he took the passengers seat. It was weird for her to be driving him somewhere, usually it was the other way around. She turned on the radio and immediately a poppy Shakira song came on. He wasn't even gonna fight with her about the radio, but he sighed loudly at her choice of music.  
  
Liz looked over from the steering wheel. "What? What's the problem now, Conner?" she asked, with a lot of bite in her voice.  
  
He looked at her helplessly. "Nothing. I didn't say anything!"  
  
Elizabeth just glared at him. "Right. And that little sigh didn't mean anything?"   
  
After a long pause, Conner finally replied. "Okay Liz, why don't we just not listen to the radio? Let's just... talk."  
  
Liz exhaled slowly. Conner feared the worst. "Yeah.. I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me. Friends?" she said lightly.  
  
Conner's stomach lurched. Friends. That was all they would ever be now. Swallowing hard, to get rid of the knot in his throat, he answered her. "Yeah. Friends."  
  
Liz smiled and loosened her grip on the steering wheel. "So, how has school been going for you?"  
  
Conner shrugged. "It's cool and all, but I miss Senior Year a lot sometimes. My classes are awesome though, and I love the fact that everyone I know is really into music."  
  
Elizabeth smiled happily to herself. That was practically an essay from Conner. "Yeah, I know what you mean. Senior Year was really... amazing, once everyone got past all the little dramas. Like grad was just perfect. But it's kinda weird how we're in University now... it feels like just yesterday I was 7 years old, hanging out with Amy, Todd, and Eva.. in Mrs.Otis' class."  
  
Conner looked out the window briefly, then turned back to Elizabeth. "I know what you mean. But there's nothing you can do about it, anyway." he smiled a genuine smile at her and Elizabeth felt her spine tingle. Butterflies fluttered in her stomach. Like it or not, her body was still definitely into Conner. "It's weird, just last week I was talking to Rachel about that."  
  
Elizabeth stiffened at the name of Rachel. "Who's Rachel? The new girl of the week?" she said lightly, trying to mask her jealousy. She expected Conner to smirk at her and say yes, or get offended.   
  
But to Elizabeth's surprise Conner turned serious. He stared deeply into her eyes, and Liz suddenly felt naked and vunerable. "No. I don't do the new girl every week thing anymore. See, I met this girl in Senior Year... and she really changed me."  
  
The silence in the car felt thick and heavy. Liz was suddenly aware that they had reached the mall. She pulled into the parking lot, and parked. The whole time, Conner's eyes never left her. He couldn't mean her, could he? He had to have. She was the first girl he ever loved. Unless he meant Alanna? He must. Slowly she turned to face him, and began to open her mouth. "Well-". Before she could finish her sentence, Conner leaned in and kissed her, silencing her with his mouth.  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Tia jumped back into the ocean happily. She knew she had just helped Conner and Elizabeth. They were both so stubborn, but she really had done them a favour. Now it was her turn to have a little fun of her own. She turned over to Evan. "Hey Evan, give me a piggy-back!" she said cheerfully. He smiled back at her and she felt so happy and free.   
"Yeah sure Tee. Hop on." he said, hunching over. She walked over to him, and jumped on his back.   
  
"Hey! You guys! Let's have chicken fights!" Maria exclaimed, upon seeing Tia on Evan's back. (A/N: In case you don't know, chicken fights are when people pair up, someone goes on the other persons back, and then the people on the backs try to knock each other off.)  
  
Tia laughed. "Yeah, great idea Maria!" Maria jumped on Ken's back, and Jessica jumped on Jeremy's back. Andy looked at everyone paired up, and shrugged. "I'm glad I'm so loved!" he laughed. "Oh well, me and my imaginary friend will partner up."  
  
Jessica laughed. "Or you could be the referee!"   
  
Andy smirked. "Yeah, that too."  
  
As soon as everyone was ready, Andy yelled, "GO!" and suddenly all sorts of arms were clawing at Tia. She was shocked and almost fell.   
  
"C'mon Tee, let's win this thing!" Evan called out from under her. Grinning widely, she pulled herself back up. She quickly started pushing Jessica, who almost fell but managed to pull herself back up as well. Maria laughed, and pushed both of them, and they both fell down.   
  
Tia fell, hitting Evan on the way down. "Oops! Sorry!"   
  
Evan smiled good-naturedly. "It's alright Tee. Now get back up there, and win!" He said, giving her a mock pep talk. She giggled and got on his back again. Tia loved how Evan was so easy-going and hardly got worked up about anything, besides the environment. She also loved how he believed in something so much. It was inspiring. Tia felt re-energized and she quickly pushed Maria and Jessica down. "YES! I AM THE CHAMPION!" she said, as Maria hit the water loudly. Jessica hadn't fallen off Jeremy's back yet, and she came back up. While Tia was doing her victory dance, she shoved her, hard. Tia fell off Evans back, hard. She also landed on someone hard. And it wasn't Evan. As got up from under the water, she turned around to apologize. Once she saw who it was, her heart caught in her throat. She looked into those familliar warm brown eyes, and found she couldn't speak. He smiled at her and she finally found her voice.  
  
"I'm sorry, Angel." 


	12. All Too Perfect

A/N: Sorry it took so long to update! My computer broke down and I had Chapter 11 saved on it. So I decided to wait until it got fixed, because the chapter was nearly done, but we have to order some parts so it may be awhile. I hope I still have some fans left =)  
  
Angel smiled back at Tia. "Hey, no problem Tee! If you hadn't hit me, I wouldn't be talking to you right now!" He said good-naturedly. *That smile... those eyes... that body...* Tia thought, with a blush taking over her face. *Tee.. this is Angel. Angel as in the guy who broke your heart, twice!* Tia chided herself. *This is Angel... your first love...* It was as if Tia's personality had been split into two.   
  
"Ummm.. Tee?" Angel asked gently, putting his arm on her shoulder. As soon as he touched her, she was brought back to reality as a jolt of familliar electricity surged through her. She flashed Angel a wide grin.   
  
"Sorry! I'm still Spacey Tee! So wow! What are you doing here?"  
  
Angel shrugged. "Taking a break from school, spending time with my family, relaxing..." he paused. "And well, reuniting with old friends now."   
  
Tia giggled. "Yeah that's pretty much what we're doing here!" she gestured towards her friends. Actually, she had forgotten that they were even there, for a moment it was as if it were only Angel and Tia, Tia and Angel, the only two on the beach.   
  
Angel too, looked a bit startled. "Oh man, I got so caught up in seeing you, I forgot about everyone! Hey guys!" Tia's heart beat a bit faster. He had forgotten about everyone else too? It wasn't just her. Maybe this was all a sign.. Angel was her first love, and them finding each other under these circumstances was destiny, or fate. Maybe it was all a plan, that Tian Ramirez and Angel Desmond were *soulmates*. She smiled to herself at the thought. Everyone greeted Angel and chit-chatted, but Tia noticed Andy was watching her intently. She was grinning like a fool, she knew that. Tia felt giddy. But Andy watching her made her nervous, so she finally looked over at him. Andy gave Tia a look that meant "what's going on with you and Angel?" Tia shrugged impatiently and mouthed "NOTHING." Andy just shook his head and turned back to the conversation. Oh well. Tia could talk to Andy later. Now she had to talk to Angel. She, too turned back to the conversation. Now Jessica was shooting her looks too. Exasperated, she turned her attention to Jess. Jessica's eyes were sparkling happily. She pointed to Angel and then to Tia and winked. Tia stifled a giggle with her mouth and gave Jessica the middle finger mockingly. Maria and Angel were both getting into the pros and cons of Yale.   
  
"Yes, but Angel! Have you seen the dormitries?" Maria yelled passionately.  
  
Jessica burst into laughter.   
  
"What?" Maria asked, sounding way annoyed.  
  
"Oh, sorry. It's just you're.. SUCH a lawyer!"  
  
When Tia heard Jessicas statement, she giggled too. "Yeah Maria, you so are! It's so cute!"   
  
Now even Maria broke into giggles. "Yeah.. well you guys better mean it as a good thing!"  
  
Ken smiled at Maria and kissed her briefly on the lips. "Of course they do. It's you we're talking about..."  
  
Maria smiled shyly.   
  
"Awwwwwwwwww!" Everyone chorused.   
  
Seeing Maria and Ken act like that, it really made Tia want a boyfriend. For awhile, she had one of those stages where she decided she was an independent woman, and she didn't need a man. And she hadn't. Her life was full and busy and she loved every second of it. But then there were the times when she heard love songs, or when she watched movies, or when she saw real couples together. And that was when she really yearned for her own true love. It seemed so cliche and so non-Tia, but she had always been a hopeless romantic. And now she knew who she wanted. She wanted Angel.  
  
  
  
Tia Ramirez:  
  
Angel, Angel, Angel.   
  
Even the name is perfect.  
  
Tia and Angel. I never thought  
  
it would happen again. But now I know  
  
it's meant to be. Fate. Soulmates.  
  
Now I just wish Evan would stop shooting   
  
us those death glares...  
  
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Elizabeth's eyes fluttered open after she and Conner shared that kiss. That kiss... it was perfect. It was sweet yet passionate, gentle yet overpowering. It was a contradiction, just like Conner. She smiled slowly, feeling the effects of the kiss all the way down to her toes. She nearly shivered, but stopped herself. She looked over at Conner. He had the dopiest smile on his face, and it made her want to laugh out loud. But she wasn't sure if that would ruin the moment, so instead she just smiled at him. "Conner-" she started. Elizabeth never got to finish her sentence.  
  
"Hey, we should get going. If we don't hurry, everyone will leave the beach." Conner said coldly.  
  
Liz's mind was unable to comprehend what he had just said. He hadn't really been so cold, had he? She was imagining things, right?  
  
"Well? Let's go." Conner said, opening his car door. Liz sat still for a second, confused. Finally it hit her. Conner was using her. He was pulling her into his web, with no intentions of being with her. All he wanted was a hook-up while he was in California. Liz could feel Conner watching her out of the Conner of her eye. Well she certainly wasn't gonna give him the satifisfaction of knowing how weak her knees still were from that kiss. She opened her own door in one fluid motion and planted her feet firmly on the ground. Before, she would have been happy just being Conner's friend. Now she wasn't sure she ever wanted anything to do with Conner McDermott again. No more spacey, love-sick, sappy Liz. It was time for a change. A change that didn't include Conner. Liz began to walk quickly towards the mall. Conner followed after her lazily.   
  
"Hey, you wanna walk faster over there? You were the one who said we have to hurry in the first place. So get moving!" she snapped.   
  
Conner shot her one of his classic stony gazes and picked up his pace. The two walked into the mall, with a large gap in between them. Both were quiet, and the tension could be cut with a knife. Still, Elizabeth forced herself to smile and act cheerful. Conner didn't deserve her anger, her sadness, and he definitely didn't deserve her happiness. As far as Elizabeth was concerned, he didn't deserve any of her energy at all.  
  
"Elizabeth, let's stop here." Conner said, his voice conveying no emotion.  
  
"K-mart?" She said, stopping in front of the store.  
  
"Yeah. Why pay $80 bucks for a bathing suit I'll wear maybe twice? Sorry, but not everything can be Designer Labels." Conner rolled his eyes.  
  
"Um did I say anything about Designer labels? I was just making sure I knew what store you were talking about, duh." Elizabeth's voice took on a catty tone, and it instantly reminded her of Lila Fowler. She smiled to herself, thinking of Jessica's snobby friend.  
  
"Whatever." Conner said, still rolling his eyes. He stepped inside the store and immediately walked over to the Men's bathing suit section. He picked up the first bathing suit he saw, a plain black one.   
  
"Alright, let's go. Done."   
  
"Aren't you even going to try it on? What if it doesn't fit?" Elizabeth said logically.  
  
Conner let out a loud sigh, but he walked over to the changing rooms without another word. Elizabeth waited outside it, tapping her foot impatiently. This had to be the mall trip from hell. A miserable ex-boyfriend, who had just broken her heart for the... fourth time? Or was it the fifth?  
  
Without warning, Conner walked out of the change room in the bathing suit. It fit him perfectly, showing off his awesome body. One of the things Liz loved about Conner was his body. He wasn't overbuilt, and it didn't look like he worked out everyday to get it. It was so natural, and so flawless. Elizabeth kept her eyes level with his. Once again, she didn't want to give Conner the satisfaction of knowing she appreciated his body.  
  
"So, is this okay with you, Mom?" Conner said sarcastically.  
  
Elizabeth rolled her eyes. "Oh yes Honey, it's just PERFECT!" her voice was dripping with fake enthusiasm and she didn't try to hid it.  
  
"Alright, so this one's a winner. Go wait in line, I'll be there in a second." Conner telling her what to do made her feel uneasy and angry, but she obdiently listened. The more they co-operated, the faster they would get back to the friends she actually wanted to see. And since Conner wasn't big on co-operation, she'd have to do more than her share.  
  
Elizabeth walked over to the cash register, with her eyes at the floor. Out of no where, she heard a familliar voice.  
  
"Elizabeth Wakefield! Twice in one day. How did I get so lucky?"   
  
Elizabeth's face broke into a wide smile. "Todd Wilkins! You seem to have a knack for strange meeting places and coincidence!" This was all too perfect.  
  
Conner McDermott:  
  
Idiot. I'm a moron. Dumbass. Asshole.  
  
Dickwad. Every name in the book. But after  
  
kissing Liz, I freaked. It was amazing... I haven't  
  
kissed her in about 6 months. But it was also  
  
so overpowering, and I freaked. I love Liz. I know that.  
  
Now all I have to do is pull my head out of my ass  
  
long enough to admit that, to her.  
  
Elizabeth Wakefield:  
  
This has been a strange day.  
  
See Todd once, promise to go out for dinner.  
  
See Conner, forget all about Todd.  
  
Have hopes crushed by Conner, see Todd again.  
  
Coincidence? I think not. Conner and me? Done.  
  
Todd and me? Well.. who knows what could happen  
  
there?   
  
Conner McDermott:  
  
Todd Wilkins? What the hell?  
  
And why is Liz smiling at him like that... 


End file.
